(i) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cap for sealing a nozzle for discharging droplets and a droplet discharge apparatus provided with a head capable of selectively discharging droplets from the nozzle as well as the cap.
(ii) Background Art
A known example of a conventional droplet discharge apparatus of this type is a so-called on-demand-type inkjet printer provided with a head capable of selectively discharging ink in droplets from a nozzle. In such an inkjet printer, the nozzle is sealed with a cap to prevent the ink in the nozzle from drying or becoming solidified during a standby time when the ink is not discharged. There are known caps, such as a cap of one type that directly seals an opening of a nozzle, and a cap of another type that has a lip closely contacting a circumference of an opening of a nozzle continuously and forms a sealed space on the surface formed with the opening of the nozzle by the close contact of the lip. It is also suggested to have caps of the both types at the same time, as disclosed in the Publication of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2002-103594.